8 Things to Look for in a Secure Gambling Site
Online gambling is the most popular and favorite way to play, but with the hundreds of sites that exist to cater to those who would rather gamble in the comfort of their own home. Now, how can you be sure that your personal data and money are secure? let’s find out how to look for a Secure Gambling Site?
8 Things to Look for in a Secure Gambling Site
1. Be Aware of your State Laws
Nonetheless, online gambling is strictly illegal in NZ, it is legal under some state laws. But, in most states, it is either illegal or a grey area, which means that in those states especially, online gambling isn’t regulated. If you reside in a state where online gambling is illegal, we recommend you proceed with caution.
Non-regulation of online secure gambling site by your state government means that the state government has not gone through the existing sites making sure that they are safe for their states’ users. Because they haven’t been thoroughly combed through, you run a greater risk of accidentally choosing a site that will put your information in danger.
If you are lucky enough to live in a state in which online gambling is legal, you and your information will be safest if you join NZ approved gambling site. On these sites, the operators need to meet a number of rules set by the government, such as occasional software checks, age verification, and valid licensing, to name a few.
2. Check out the Software
The modernization in the features of online secure gambling site may mean that they are using multiple software providers to cater to their needs. Checking the software that a site uses isn’t a totally fool-proof method of checking the legitimacy of the website, but it does contribute to the overall picture that can be painted of the website.
Look for popular software brands, like Rival Gaming and Real Time Gaming, and keep an eye out on the forums for any other established software companies that may be entering the market.
Doing some independent research on legitimate software companies can only aid you in your search for an online gambling site, and a little background knowledge can go a long way.
3. Go through the Reviews
The online gambling community is tight-knit, and there are many forums and resources that are there to help potential gamblers find a reputable site to spend their time and money.
You want to first pay attention to the negative reviews, as they will give you an insight to the worst of the worst encounters and experiences that users have had on that specific site. Some things to look for within the negative reviews are users talking about sloppy sites that use loopholes within their terms to get out of paying you, sites that are slow to pay, or have a record of not paying their patrons, and sites whose offers seem too good to be true.
These are some of the things to look for, among the many that may send up the red flags. Make sure that the reviews you’re reading are from unbiased sources, in other words, do your best to seek out user reviews instead of reviews done by a website.
In some cases, some websites that specialize in online gambling site reviews will take money from the site being reviewed in exchange for a good review. This is a problematic situation for a user who is visiting the review site for an honest review when trying to decide where they should place their trust.
4. Seals of Approval
These may be displayed on a site are meant to comfort the prospective player, thinking that if the site has been ‘approved’, it is safe. But, the truth is, that seals of approval can be easily fabricated, and added to a site without the approval to back them up. Legitimate seals of approval DO exist, but it is better that you take these out of the equation because they are so easy to fake.
5. Customer Support
This is also a vital part of your search, and should not be ignored. Though a quality customer support system isn’t necessarily an indicator of site safety, it is an important thing to check.
You can do this by reading reviews done by previous customers on forums and in comments. Or, you can go with a more hands-on approach. Test out each method of support that the site offers, whether it is email, chat, or a phone number.
Come up with a few questions beforehand, and measure the response time (if you are contacting them via email), clarity of their answer, and how willing they are to help you sort out a potential problem.
Even a legitimate site can have a bad customer support system. Hence, it’s important to make sure that if a problem does arise, there will be a squad there who will be willing to do what they can to help you.
6. Payment Systems
The ease of making a payment/deposit does not equal a more legitimate site. In fact, the ease of deposit making, whether it is easy or more difficult, has absolutely no correlation with the site’s safety. An unsafe site wants your money just as much as a safe site; and certain sites go through more checks to ensure their own safety, and that the money you are depositing is yours and will not put them in a legal position.
When you’ve picked a site, and begin to play, there are still a few more things to keep in mind.
7. Keep an Eye Out for Changing Laws
If you are using an online gambling website, it is your personal responsibility to keep up with relevant law changes. This becomes more relevant if you are using a site that your native country do not operate. Although law changes may not come very often, it’s important that you are familiar with the laws and rules of gambling in both – your country or state – and the country where the site is working.
Not only does this give you a more clear picture of your legal protection, but if the law changes dramatically for the country that your site is functioning, you’ll want to know so that you can take the appropriate measures of cashing out your money and taking your information off of the site in case it closes or is somehow otherwise becomes illegal.
The research and information that you do before you sign up there, it’s important, for your safety and security, that you’re always up to date.
8. In the event of an Emergency
You’ve completely vetted the site, checked its licensing, read and reviewed user comments, and made a point to keep up with the laws, so now you have the right site? No.
Solid and secure sites can still experience clamor that may cause them to close unexpectedly. This is usually due to financial issues, but it certainly isn’t upto that only. You should be aware of a few warning signs that may allude to site closure.
Warning sign 1
Your withdrawals have always taken ‘x’ amount of time in the past, but now it’s taking longer.
This isn’t a nail in the coffin and could just indicate temporary financial setbacks within the site, but it is best to keep track.
Keep a small book of your withdrawals, including the amount you requested the withdrawal, and the date you receive your money. Having a good track record that will track the site over a period of time can show you if the site is slowly taking a nosedive, and will show you if the site has taken an obvious dramatic turn for the worse.
Warning sign 2
You informed (emailed customer service) two weeks ago and haven’t gotten a response, though they’ve been quick to respond in the past.
Again, this can be due to a few things unrelated to the stability of the site, but it’s good practice to keep an account in the back of your mind. Slow response from the site to its players, especially if the interaction and responses have been frequent and quick in the past, is a matter of concern.
If you think this is occurring, review the forums. Other players in your position are most definitely wondering the same thing, and getting different accounts of the situation can help you paint a bigger picture.
These are not the only two warning signs, but they are two that are easily trackable if you keep a good record.
Synopsis
Better not to go wrong with having more information on your side. Start with this list, and stick to it for yourself based on the criteria you may have when you are making your choice.
From knowing the laws to know a few warning signs of a potentially failing site, we hope that these tips would help you to be more confident not only while you’re looking for a site, but also while you’re playing!
